Women need to believe in themselves again. In the late 1960’s to the 1980’s we saw women embracing their own self-worth and capabilities with strong confidence. They didn’t need to be perfect but they wanted to make things happen and they did.

But then what happened? For the past 15 – 20 years, we have steadily seen women fall off their career growth and success. Yes, we know there are major societal and cultural barriers to women here in our country but there is something more subtle going on. Women become their own worst critics.

These highly educated, capable young women start falling behind at almost every turning point in their career paths. That inner voice of self-doubt becomes louder and they begin turning down opportunities to advance saying to themselves “I’m not good enough, qualified enough, and smart enough or the time just isn’t right”. Interestingly, we don’t see the young men saying that at all – they tell themselves “I’ll learn it as I go”. The result . . . they move ahead and advance quickly.

This disturbing trend has been well documented but has received little serious attention by human resource professionals or the leaders of growing organizations – all who are now scrambling to recruit and retain top talent especially among the millennial generation.

What can we do? Here are three actions that HR departments and company leaders can take.

Establish one-on-one mentoring programs

Create confidential professional peer support groups

Teach coaching skills to all managers/supervisors.

This is just a short list – there is so much more that we all need to do to stop this talent drain. Let’s help these young women grow their self-confidence so they can step up to critical leadership positions in their professional work and in their communities. We need them!

What People Say

“Kit is an outstanding coach and career strategist. She understands the nuances in the corporate environment and worked with me to transition into a new position with new responsibilities and dynamics. I highly recommend Kit and am confident that anyone who works with her will be stronger and more focused within their
career.”
- Ira M, MBA

“Kit is the spark that lights a fire – a person who inspires others to go beyond their presumed limitations to action. She has a gift for recognizing others’ talents, and gently encouraging their expression. She is a catalyst for change who often leads the charge in developing a new organization or disseminating a new idea. A quintessential networker, Kit recognizes opportunities, not only for herself, but for her friends and colleagues as well." - Laynette Evans, CCMC